Hammer drills: SDS vs 3-jaw chuck

[luke]

I've heard opinions that for a rotary hammer drill, the SDS-style chuck is superior to a traditional 3-jaw style chuck, when you're drilling in hard rock. Is this actually the case, and if so, is it possible to retrofit a SDS chuck onto a drill that currently has a standard 1/2" 3-jaw chuck?

I haven't had an SDS chuck in my hands in years, so I can't recall if they'd be swappable or not, and I haven't had the chance to do a side-by-side comparison of the drilling speed in the granite that I typically deal with. This is primarily concerning one of those old Ryobi 2-stroke gas powered hammer drills.

[jmhinescj]

the tree jaws are okay for soft stuff...brick and mortar mainly, even the ones that are sold as dedicated hammer drills...for real concrete they don't do much. If you think your gonna use it a good bit get a sds...I don't think that the chucks are interchangeable becasue they operate differently...with an sds the bit "slides" back and forth in the chuck and it acts like it has a separate hammer mechinism as opposed to moving the entire chuck

that may be totaly wrong, just an observation from using them a pretty good bit in the past

[Aces'n'8s]

I have a 1" Bosch SDS rotary hammer and it laughs at the "DIYer" style hammer drills....ie...a vibrating drill. Then again, its huge, powerful, and was designed for such jobs.

For light duty such as brick/mortar/plaster etc....the DIYer is okay. But if you're going to be sinking a lot of anchors, rebar, or busting concrete for pipe/conduit/hose access....get the SDS.

[widmayer123]

SDS Only!!!!!

The 3 Jaws SUCK!!!!

[elongate]

if you have a hilti or similar, the chucks are removable and interchangable. all models from the TE-2 to the TE-15. the sds is more reliable and wont loosen off the bit from vibration like the three jaw.

[pmurf1]

I burned up my first Bosch bulldog three jaw styled one. Bought a new Bosch SDS, I'll never go back. You can even get ones that don't rotate and just hammer if you need to chip something out.

[jasonmt]

I have a 1" Bosch SDS rotary hammer and it laughs at the "DIYer" style hammer drills....ie...a vibrating drill. Then again, its huge, powerful, and was designed for such jobs.

For light duty such as brick/mortar/plaster etc....the DIYer is okay. But if you're going to be sinking a lot of anchors, rebar, or busting concrete for pipe/conduit/hose access....get the SDS.


One sucks manmeat and one does not, I will let you guess which is which:

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=258324&stc=1&d=1155342989

[luke]

I'm dealing with one of these:
http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/608/ryobidrillyy9.jpg (http://img237.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ryobidrillyy9.jpg)

I know these things were available with SDS at some point, but I have no clue if the chucks are interchangable with the 3-jaw models. Info on these drills is sort of scare on the web.

[mike]

I have a 1" Bosch SDS rotary hammer and it laughs at the "DIYer" style hammer drills....ie...a vibrating drill. Then again, its huge, powerful, and was designed for such jobs.

For light duty such as brick/mortar/plaster etc....the DIYer is okay. But if you're going to be sinking a lot of anchors, rebar, or busting concrete for pipe/conduit/hose access....get the SDS.
Yep, depends on what you're doing. I use my 3 jaw hammerdrill for drilling to sink tapcons etc, but an SDS rotary hammer for anything over 3/8" or over a 1/4 in concrete.

[kf4zht]

I know they have SDS to 3 Jaw adapters, but I do not know about the other way around.

I do like the one on my hammerdrill

[badlinestu]

How well does that gas powerd machine work ? Never really seen one in action . Love my SDS type though, have the old school 3 jaw chucks.

[keenavv]

I have been using a 1" SDS rotary hammer drill from HF for about 6 years and it is a great dependable tool. And it cost about $50 and a coupon.:D

[luke]

How well does that gas powerd machine work ? Never really seen one in action . Love my SDS type though, have the old school 3 jaw chucks.

Like I said, I only really use the gas drill in granite, putting in 5/16" holes about 2" deep. Usually it will drill that hole in about 15-20 seconds, but if there's a big quartz inclusion it will slow way down. The SDS chuck would probably get through the quartz quicker, but the hammer action with the existing 3-jaw chuck is good enough to get the job done. In concrete, the drill will punch the same hole in 5-10 seconds.

I use this drill on the seashore, and it's constantly getting doused by waves, so an electric drill of any sort isn't really an option.

[Hvy_Chevy]

You can buy a 3jaw chuck that fits into a SDS chuck

[Jam Master Jay]

You want an SDS Max for that, not a regular SDS. There should be a screw down inside the chuck that you can access with the teeth cranked all the way in. That will let you remove the chuck.

I've seen adapters to use straight shank bits in an SDS unit but I've never run across any 3 jaw to SDS.

My DeWalt hammer drill has both chucks interchangeable.

[FullsizeYota]

You want an SDS Max for that, not a regular SDS. There should be a screw down inside the chuck that you can access with the teeth cranked all the way in. That will let you remove the chuck.

I've seen adapters to use straight shank bits in an SDS unit but I've never run across any 3 jaw to SDS.

My DeWalt hammer drill has both chucks interchangeable.

you dont need a SDS MAX.. SDS plus is rated for 1" holes. SDS max is much bigger, which wont hurt.

it's kinda like using a 1 ton to tow a golf cart.. a 1/2 will do:flipoff2: